4:30 A.M.

I woke up frequently during the night and didn't get up until Narayana came and woke me at 3 A.M. I groaned to have to get up so late. It meant I would be behind in my rounds. So far I've only chanted nine. I talked some with him but quickly got into my rounds, too quickly. I chanted them rapidly in my mind and was wide awake, but not thoughtful or contemplative. Chanting on the surface. Nevertheless, I've been doing it so long that there is a residue of seriousness always in my chanting. I know it is the most important thing and try to do it well. I'm just a little anxious because it will take me longer in the day before I complete the quota. But it is an unnecessary anxiety, because I know I'll get them done. When you chant too quickly the meaning slips you by and the purpose. You're just rushing along like a racer. You have to go at least slow enough to think this is Radha, this is Krishna, this is nondifferent. These are the holy names. This is my means of salvation, this is my topmost service.

Going through the mind
too thoughtlessly because
you are chanting mainlyto get them done. You
should chant to do them,
not to get them out of
the way. As always, I
maintain a spark of sincerity
and pleading with Nama Prabhu to please engage
me in His service. Please
calm down, and concentrate,
and do them better.
The movie actress Lauren Bacall
is eighty-five years old and still
going strong, but you do not know
how long you have. "It Could
Be Tomorrow" is the name
of the hurricane TV station.
They tell you to be prepared
and don't think it won't
happen to you. You may
be ordered to evacuate and
you need to save your life.
Chant right now.

Prabhupada Smaranam

This picture was taken in Swamiji's room at 26 Second Avenue. It shows him lifting up an unusual looking book. By the binding and size you can tell it is not one of his Srimad-Bhagavatam's from India. Perhaps it is one of the books containing the acaryas' commentaries which Prabhupada used in his writing work. The book is so large that a few sentimental devotees said Prabhupada is here demonstrating divine powers of weight lifting. The claim is absurd. The book is not that heavy, and before his stroke in 1967, Prabhupada was quite strong. He used to chant kirtana loudly for three hours every Sunday in Tompkins Square Park. Even after his illness, when he recovered in India, he began touring the world widely and giving many lectures and private talks. He slept only a few hours daily and rose at 1 A.M. to write. He sometimes became ill from his strain, but he never claimed he was working under miraculous powers. He was very humble about that.

When a man in India asked Prabhupada to explain the rasa dance, Prabhupada said he was unable to do it, even though he had written it elaborately in Krishnabook. Another man challenged Prabhupada to prove he had the realization of sama-darsanam (as stated in Bhagavad-gita), the ability to see Krishna in the heart of every living entity. Prabhupada told the man he had no such power. But then he told him the power that he did have. He said he had been able to make Vaisnavas of thousands of young people who had formerly been drunkards and drug addicts. He was able to see Krishna in their hearts and administer the medicine of chanting and hearing which converted them from meat eating mlecchas to refined Vaisnavas and brahmanas. The man was very impressed and left the room repeating to himself, "He sees Krishna in everyone's heart." So this was the miraculous ability that Prabhupada readily admitted he possessed. He said he had it, however, only by his one hundred percent following his spiritual master, and he strictly followed the path chalked out by Lord Caitanya. We should not look to Prabhupada's lifting a heavy book to prove he is a maha-bhagavata but to his amazing powers to change sinful persons into servants of Krishna and humanity, from hippies to happies.

A Book of Prayers

In "My Dear Lord Krishna" I
spoke to Krishna and was
convinced He heard me and
allowed me to commune.

I told Him many things, even
said "Today, right now, I
have a headache and can't
write so well to You. Why
do You send them? I don't
mind but I wonder."

I prayed that I could
join Him in the spiritual world although
I didn't know what I was
talking about. It was a
good period, all those
letters written directly toYou, my Lord and master
and friend.

I said I conceive of You as
in my heart but not as four-
armed Vishnu, rather as
Syamasundara. They are
all done now, a period of
prayer I passed through
and can't seem to return to.

They were not the most
playful missives and read
straight and sastric
though personal. They were not
the most entertaining for
an audience, but they are
certainly serious attempts
to face my concept of the
Lord.

"My Dear Lord Krishna",
You were standing before
me and I prayed to You a
little bit like Tukaram
did, but not so
candid or intimate
or devoted. He really
opened to his God
and said some amazing
personal things, almost
insults, out of love.

I did them every day for
more than a year and always
had the feeling that You
were giving me permission to
do another one and that
eventually You might
not let me do it anymore.

And so it came to past.
They are not a great
collection of religious poems
or creative writing, but
I'm grateful You let me do
it and that they will be
collected into two books.

You gave me the permission
and the belief that I was
talking to You, and You
let me come close and You
heard me and said in effect,
"Go on writing to Me, I am
accepting it. You can write
to Me with your pen, and I'll
receive it in time and space
as a genuine book of prayers."

That was all Your doing.
I spoke up as Your instrument.
I used my own voice and
framed addresses to You as
if You were present before
me or receiving them in the
mail. I thank You for
the time we shared
and hope we will be able
to meet and come together
in another kind of way
like that, where You hear
me and say "Go on talking.
I am hearing and I like it."

Free write

Is this my heart? It is shaped like a heart but it is made of iron or steel and it is locked. My heart is locked against harinama. The key is devotional, attentive chanting, but I seem to have misplaced it. It is a very formidable lock, and I can't cut it with scissors or a chisel. The best thing is to find the key and open it. The spiritual master gave the key and said to keep it safely. We have misbehaved.

Let us sit down and discuss how we may open this lock; we have to ask the spiritual master to help us to find the key again.

But he may be deliberately keeping it from me for my misbehavior.

Can we go to a professional locksmith and have him trick open this lock or make a new key? They are expert in those things. You could even use dynamite. But explosives might destroy the door and the contents behind the door. I think it requires a delicate operation, the finding of the person with the original key. Let us ask in the neighborhood. Let us chant Hare Krishna at the entrance of the heart shaped lock and pray and beg for the appearance of the spiritual master, the original giver of the key, to appear and give us back the key or a spare. I do not want to attempt a violent operation. It may damage the heart. If we can only find the key!

But we could get a locksmith to make a new key or open this one and then keep it open. There is no need to keep the heart locked on the harinama. Do you really think our spiritual master locked the heart or that we did it ourselves and threw the key away? We should open the heart and chant in freedom.

I am not sure what to do and how this predicament arose. But we should go on chanting at the door. Pray to the spiritual master in the heart and consult his instructions and his devotees and ask for advice.

1966 March 5: "Today I have sent one letter to the Secretary Salvation Army for exchange. At 2 o'clock went to Ananda Ashram. Kirtan was performed in the evening. Very much appreciated."Prabhupada Journal :: 1966

1971 March 5: "Anyone reading our KRSNA book, TLC, NOD, and Bhagavad As It Is, is sure to become a Krishna Conscious person. Therefore somehow or other we must push on this literature distribution program."Prabhupada Letters :: 1971

1972 March 5: "Even I cannot give you any nice thing, still, because you have got some love for Krishna and your Spiritual Master, you are working very hard in every way just to push on this movement."Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1972 March 5: "Practically now it is in the hands of you big guns to manage everything. if you go on helping me in this way, you may know it for certain that very soon you will see Krishna face-to-face."Prabhupada Letters :: 1972

1973 March 5: "We want to avoid skin disease and the Indian people are like the tannery expert. Such a cobbler is expert at skin disease. They will see our Sankirtana Party and think it is a white dance."Prabhupada Letters :: 1973

1974 March 5: "We do not say that one has to leave home. Either you leave home or remain there, you go on with your progressive interest and participation in this great movement."Prabhupada Letters :: 1974

SB 8.22.1: Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O King, although the Supreme Personality of Godhead was superficially seen to have acted mischievously toward Bali Mahārāja, Bali Mahārāja was fixed in his determination. Considering himself not to have fulfilled his promise, he spoke as follows.

SB 8.22.2: Bali Mahārāja said: O best Personality of Godhead, most worshipable for all the demigods, if You think that my promise has become false, I shall certainly rectify matters to make it truthful. I cannot allow my promise to be false. Please, therefore, place Your third lotus footstep on my head.

Bali Mahārāja could understand the pretense of Lord Vāmanadeva, who had taken the side of the demigods and come before him as a beggar. Although the Lord's purpose was to cheat him, Bali Mahārāja took pleasure in understanding how the Lord will cheat His devotee to glorify the devotee's position. It is said that God is good, and this is a fact. Whether He cheats or rewards, He is always good. Bali Mahārāja therefore addressed Him as Uttamaśloka. "Your Lordship," he said, "You are always praised with the best of selected verses. On behalf of the demigods, You disguised Yourself to cheat me, saying that You wanted only three paces of land, but later You expanded Your body to such an extent that with two footsteps You covered the entire universe. Because You were working on behalf of Your devotees, You do not regard this as cheating. Never mind. I cannot be considered a devotee. Nonetheless, because although You are the husband of the goddess of fortune You have come to me to beg, I must satisfy You to the best of my ability. So please do not think that I wanted to cheat You; I must fulfill my promise. I still have my body. When I place my body for Your satisfaction, please put Your third step on my head." Since the Lord had covered the entire universe with two steps, one might ask how Bali Mahārāja's head could be sufficient for His third step? Bali Mahārāja, however, thought that the possessor of wealth must be greater than the possession. Therefore although the Lord had taken all his possessions, the head of Bali Mahārāja, the possessor, would provide adequate place for the Lord's third step.

Being very pleased by the unalloyed devotion of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead gave the King His disc, which is fearful to enemies and which always protects the devotee from enemies and adversities.

PURPORT

A devotee, being always engaged in the service of the Lord, may not be expert in self-defense, but because a devotee fully depends on the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is always sure of protection by the Lord. Prahlāda Mahārāja said:

A devotee is always merged in the ocean of the transcendental bliss of rendering service to the Lord. Therefore he is not at all afraid of any adverse situation in the material world. The Lord also promises, kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati: "O Arjuna, you may declare to the world that the devotees of the Lord are never vanquished." (Bg. 9.31) For the protection of the devotees, Kṛṣṇa's disc, the Sudarśana cakra, is always ready. This disc is extremely fearful to the nondevotees (pratyanīka-bhayāvaham). Therefore although Mahārāja Ambarīṣa was fully engaged in devotional service, his kingdom was free of all fear of adversity.

Once upon a time there was a little red hen who lived in a big farm-yard.
She had three fluffy yellow chicks.
One morning as they were busily scratching about the yard, looking for something to eat, the little red hen found a grain of wheat.

“Look!” she said.
“See what I have found. Who will help me to plant this grain of wheat?”

“Not I,” said the duck. “I must go down to the pond for a swim.”
“Not I,” said the cat. “I have some visitors coming in a few minutes.”

“Very well, I will then”, said the little red hen, and she did.

After a while some weeds appeared among the stalks of wheat.
One day the little red hen asked:
“Who will help me to weed this wheat?”

“Not I,” said the duck. “That sort of work doesn’t agree with me.”
“Not I”, said the cat. “I would not be able to tell the weeds from the wheat”.

“Very well, I will then”, said the little red hen, and she did.

After a while the wheat began to ripen:
“What fine wheat we have,” said the cat and the duck.
“Yes, indeed, it is time to reap the wheat,” said the little red hen. “Who will help me to reap this wheat?”

“Not I”, said the cat.
“Not I”, said the duck.

“Very well, then I will”, said the little red hen.

She cut the heads off the grain very carefully and put them in a bag.

Then she called to the cat and the duck and she asked, “Now, who will take this wheat to the mill to be ground into flour?”
“Not I”, said the duck.
“Not I”, said the cat.

“Very well, then”, said the little red hen, “I will take it myself”.

So the little red hen trudged off to the mill, and in a few hours she was back with a sack of fine flour.

“Now, who is going to make this flour into bread?” asked the little red hen.

“Not I”, said the duck.
“Not I”, said the cat.

“I will, then,” said the little red hen, and she did.

Soon the loaf was ready for the oven.

“Now, who is going to bake this bread?” asked the little red hen.

“Not I”, said the cat.
“Not I”, said the duck.

“Very well, then”, said the little red hen. “I will do it”.

So the loaf of bread was baked and it was baked, and it was beautiful, golden and crusty. The little red hen put it on the kitchen table, and the cat and the duck came into the house and looked at it longingly.

“Well now, who is going to eat this loaf of bread?” asked the little red hen.

“I will”, said the duck quickly.
“I will”, said the cat stepping close.

“Oh, no, you won’t”, said the little red hen. “I am going to eat it myself”.

Then she called her little chicks together, and they ate the whole loaf of bread. Not a crumb was left for the duck and the cat.

Hungry. That is the only word I can use to describe how I felt standing in front of Sri-Sri Radha Shyamasundar in Alachua on Gaura Purnima. My eyes were hungry for the form of Krishna. Radha-Shyamasundar are always impeccably dressed, everything is perfect about Them but on Gaura Purnima, they were especially breathtaking. Standing in front of Them, I wished that my eyesight was perfect- no- I wished it was more than perfect so that I can relish every part of Radha-Shyamasundar with my eyes. The altar reminded me of Janamastmi in Vrindavan, full of foliage and flowers, it was simply amazing. And Their outfits were so beautiful with shiny sequined colors that faded from one to another. What is amazing about the Lord is that a dress is just a dress and a necklace is just a necklace, but when Krishna wears it, it becomes transformed, it bewilders my mind! His beauty makes ordinary things more beautiful. It's the complete opposite of how people dress! Amazing. Simply amazing.

Waiting for the abhisek to start I sat in the back of the temple room and mindlessly fingered my beads. Its bad, I know. I looked at Radharani and wondered why some devotees turn down the opportunity to serve Them. So beautiful and such an intimate service. I wondered how some devotees have the privilege to perform devotional service but neglect others the privilege to serve Them too. Certainly we should be greedy for Krishna, but we should never be stingy.

I don't get people. Especially devotees.

Gaura Purnima marks a new year for us devotees. This year I would like to blog more. Last year was pretty rough for me, I was going through some things not worth talking about so bloging was last on my mind. But I did finally have the good fortune of going to India and I would like to talk about some of my experiences. Mostly so that I don't forget, but also because I want to remember the amazing time I had. I remember worrying that I wouldn't like India, I know so many very wonderful devotees who went to India and hated it but the minute I got there I loved it. I even loved the things that I didn't like. I cant wait to go back.

The other day I was listening to several classes from Soho Street and ISKCON Melbourne and one thing struck me was that Srila Prabhupada adjusted to each person he met; this also is shown in his correspondence, morning walks and conversations. The message remained the same always but the approach and advice was always different; [...]

It is always the highlight of any month spending time at The Manor, and it is nice that opportunities to serve the devotees is always sweet and each visit grows sweeter. Also a big thanks to the Manor devotees who have found a small spot for me to rest my head even though major renovation [...]

Here’s a final pic. from 1973. It was taken in the garden of an opulent house we were renting in Double Bay, one of the more exclusive suburbs in Sydney. The name of the house was “Hare Hatch” so we all thought it was just suitable for the Hare Krishnas. It lasted a few months till eventually the landlord came under so much pressure from the neighbours that he forced us to leave.

It was one of many homes Sri Sri Radha Gopinatha had in the early days of Sydney yatra.

Their Lordships had to change abodes at least nine times before finally settling at their current temple in N. Sydney in the early 1990s.

Amogha prabhu was our resident photographer and he got me to pose on the lawn in the early morning around September 1973. I don’t remember exactly what for, he was doing some kind of photo essay:

Srila Prabhupada entered Australia for his third visit on February 8, 1973.

1973 Australian visa and entry stamp

This time he made his entry intoMelbourne first and then went up to Sydney. He travelled out from India with a special entourage:

Wednesday, 7 February 1973

Prabhupada departed out of Calcutta for his flight to Melbourne via Bangkok. Two devotees accompanied him. Srutakirti, a bright young brahmacari, acted as his servant. Bali-mardana, now returning to Australia as a sannyasi, was his secretary.

Prabhupada had planned to install 60cm marble Radha-Krsna Deities in Melbourne. The Deities had been acquired in India and now Bali-mardana and Srutakirti carried one Deity each on the flight out to Australia. It was certainly a difficult task to carry the heavy marble Deities on and off planes, while simultaneously looking after Srila Prabhupada’s luggage and seeing to his comfort on the journey. Prabhupada was encouraging. He stressed to Srutakirti that this difficult austerity was very pleasing to Krsna. “To make spiritual advancement,” he assured, “one has to simply satisfy Krsna. There are so many ways of satisfying Krsna and this is one of them. Krsna is very pleased with your endeavours.”

Wednesday, 7 February 1973

Prabhupada departed out of Calcutta for his flight to Melbourne via Bangkok. Two devotees accompanied him. Srutakirti, a bright young brahmacari, acted as his servant. Bali-mardana, now returning to Australia as a sannyasi, was his secretary.

Prabhupada had planned to install 60cm marble Radha-Krsna Deities in Melbourne. The Deities had been acquired in India and now Bali-mardana and Srutakirti carried one Deity each on the flight out to Australia. It was certainly a difficult task to carry the heavy marble Deities on and off planes, while simultaneously looking after Srila Prabhupada’s luggage and seeing to his comfort on the journey. Prabhupada was encouraging. He stressed to Srutakirti that this difficult austerity was very pleasing to Krsna. “To make spiritual advancement,” he assured, “one has to simply satisfy Krsna. There are so many ways of satisfying Krsna and this is one of them. Krsna is very pleased with your endeavours.” — [The Great Transcendental Adventure by Kurma dasa]

Madhudvisa Swami had requested Srila Prabhupada to install the new marble Radha Krsna Deities and the devotees had worked hard for at least a month to build a new altar similar to the one at Bury Place in London where Radha and Krsna were on ground level and Lord Jagannatha was on a floor above Them. But when Bali Mardan saw the kitchen he complained to Prabhupada that it wasn’t upto the proper standard and he opposed the installation. Consequently the devotees spent all night cleaning and scrubbing and painting, and then Srila Prabhupada agreed to go ahead:

Sruta Kirti dasa, Srila Prabhupada, Smt. Radharani, Madhudvisa Swami

Srila Prabhupada gave the Deities the name Sri Sri Radha Vallabha. On a later visit in 1976Melbourne temple as being on par with Los Angeles and New York. he praised the worship in

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The Gita Coaching is a process of learning, renewal, application, and feedback that will help you develop the essential skills necessary to live the Bhagavad Gita. It is a step-by-step path for living with fairness, integrity, honesty, human dignity and spiritual intelligence. With a coach, you can actualize this spiritual, principle-centred approach for achieving your personal, spiritual and professional goals and solving all kinds of problems. How Does A Coach Assist You? - A Coach helps you to envision and clarify what and where you want to be - A Coach holds you accountable to act on your highest priorities - A Coach holds you responsible for taking action to create results - A Coach helps you improve how you approach interaction with others and create a foundation of trust and mutual benefit How Does Coaching Help You? - Coaching helps you apply the process of deep understanding of other people to create interdependent and mutually beneficial relationships - Coaching plugs you into the power of 1+1=3, helping you work with others to discover the best solution - Coaching will help you release your potential by helping you make time for the things that renew and enliven you Forming New Habits Takes Time As your coach, I am committed to help you transform your life through the principles of the Bhagavad Gita. Coaching will help you become more effective by changing the way you approach yourself, your relationships, and your service. This type of spiritual transformation requires more than a cosmetic change in techniques; it requires a change in habits - a process that takes time and accountability. Coaching Lays A Comprehensive Foundation For Change During the coaching process, we will work together to understand and develop spiritually-based habits of personal, interpersonal, professional and organizational effectiveness. Long-Term Benefits Of Coaching Gita Coaching is a learning and implementation process that will ensure that you are better able to internalize and practice the principles of the Bhagavad Gita. Increased effectiveness in living the Bhagavad Gita will mean greater success in all facets of your life. I will be your partner, invested in your success. I will help to support, guide and motivate you to apply the Bhagavad Gita principles to your life in a way that most probably you have not done before.

This chanting of sixteen rounds is absolutely necessary if one wants to remember Krsna and not forget Him. Of all the regulative principles, the spiritual master's order to chant at least sixteen rounds is most essential. Cc Madhya 22.113 Purport

Similarly, to be recognized by Krishna, as He says na ca tasman manusyesu [Bg. 18.69], one has to pass examination, severe test of examination. All the big, big devotees we see. Narada Muni, before becoming Narada Muni, he had to pass through severe examination, test. That chance is there in the human form of life, to pass the examination, test.

"Gandhi's program was very nice, village organize so that they may not come to the city and help the capitalists. Remain satisfied in the village." [Srila Prabhupada - Room Conversation -- September 12, 1976, Vrindavana]I was really excited when I came across this quote because it reveals Srila Prabhupada's anti capitalist/communist revolutionary spirit which comes across in many places in his books although mostly indirectly. Although we don't know exactly how much Srila Prabhupada studied communism and socialism he was definitely very much apart of Gandhi's movement, so much so that he was wearing homespun cotton and had dropped out of college because he didn't want to be a part of the British economic system. But I think from certain passages in his books and from this quote I would guess that he pretty clearly understood the basic ideas of communism. Srila Prabhupada understood the cruelty and injustice of capitalism but he also saw the futility of revolutions to create any positive change. Even Gandhi non-violent revolution was doomed to failure. What Srila Prabhupada did was create a vision and an organization that could actually create a total revolution in society.Srila Prabhupada's vision for this revolution is really amazing because it includes not the philosophical and metaphysical principles upon which to found a society but also the nuts and bolts economics of how to create an ideal society.We cannot practice Krishna conscious or really understand Srila Prabhupada's vision without understanding his vision for social revolution. Capitalism and Krishna consciousness go ill together.

We sometimes inquire from our conscience. Conscience says, "No, don't do this." But still we do it. Still we do... That is our avidya. Because we do not know, in ignorance, in spite of the Supreme Soul, Supersoul is forbidding, "Don't do this," still, we shall do it. That is called anumanta. We cannot do anything without the sanction of the Supersoul, but when we insist that "I must do it," then He says, "All right, you do it, but you'll suffer your sequence. My word is, Supersoul order is, that 'You give up all this nonsense. Simply surrender unto Me. I will give you all protection.' " But no, that he'll not do. Bhagavad-gita 13.4 -- Bombay, September 27, 1973

Goals Instructions Tests Action Goals Choose an important area of your life you want to work on and write down goals you want to achieve in that area. Instructions Choose one goal you would like to work on right now and find spiritual instructions that will help you achieve it. Tests Write down what internal and external tests or obstacles you have to pass in order to achieve it. Action Write down a weekly action plan to start moving towards achieving your goal.en

Here’s a neat picture taken by a newspaper photographer of one of our Ratha carts. He cleverly caught it parked in front of an aptly named UniversalRent-a-car sign, and made it look like a Rent-a-Ratha for the Lord of the Universe:

Universal Rent-a-Ratha

This next one was taken a couple of days before the festival when we were on the last stages of constructing two new, bigger size Rathas, one for Lord Balarama and one for Lord Jagannatha. The existing small Ratha became Lady Subhadra’s:

The Rathayatra was a success, and we ended up in the Botanical Gardens instead of a hall as in the previous year. Vaibhavi dasi, our resident artist (wife of Charu dasa in Utah and the first devotee I ever met) designed these wonderful suits of armour to dress their Lordships in:

The main thing is to fix your mind on the sound of the chanting. As you strain and yearn to keep your attention fixed, this naturally brings a mood of devotion. This is the way you serve the holy name. Just as when cooking, if you try very hard not to burn the preparation, to spice it nicely, and to keep it cooking nicely, then you express your devotion in this way. From Japa Reform Notebook by SDG

A spiritual guide is your spiritual success partner who: - Thinks of you, listens to you and speaks to you kindly in all circumstances - Works alongside you with strong faith in you and your potential - Assists you in making lasting positive changes in your life - Supports you and encourages your spiritual and professional growth - Never takes any disagreement with you very seriously - Encourages your service, natural gifts and talents, so that you can use them as a basis for your spiritual growth and material support - Works with you and for you, not on you - Keeps strictly confidential any information about you - Believes in your inherent potential to be a pure devotee of the Lord.

Saturday 6th, February 2010. It was late morning and we were not certain whether or not we were going ahead with our harinam today. Finally they made the call and we drove to the city. I wasn't feeling the nectar of the harinam at first. This was strange because, apart from a few glitches, the tour harinams are constant nectar for me. Today I was in the back and I realized I had to fight for my spot in the centre, where all the holy name action was being played out. I thought I would let someone else feel my bliss but it just seemed to be chaos on the percussion section. I selfishly lodged myself back into my spot, which I stand in ninety percent of the harinams. Brisbane city was really receiving an extra dosage of mercy while the tour was in town.

In the evening, we visited the Brisbane temple. In Sydney and Melbourne we were living in the temple but in Brisbane most of us were staying in houses further away. It was nice to rekindle the light of Deity worship, by coming to the temple, paying our respects and singing for the Lordships.

The devotees were holding a sitting kirtana until the tour devotees arrived. Soon Sri Prahlada took the lead and the kirtana raged out of control. I spent a good amount of time, chanting japa and minding Maharaja's danda, while he had some private talks with one devotee. I saw Kaushal at the front gate, talking with his relatives that he had invited to the temple. Even having a physical relationship with a devotee was an amazing blessing because it brought you closer to Krsna.

Soon Gaura Hari, Murari and Kaushal ran from the temple to the devotees' neighbouring house. In great ecstasy, they threw off their upper garments and jumped into the pool. They were chanting, calling 'Gauranga' loudly and joking loudly. The scene looked like the company of Lord Caitanya in the Ganges, raging around like mad elephants.

I spent the good part of the night catching up with some old friends and honouring the feast. Brisbane was busy as always but it was hard to ascertain much in the crowds. I could only look for familiar faces and take shelter in sat-sanga.

Sunday 7th, February 2010. We were supposed to have lunch at the temple but plans all went a little crazy. We found ourselves having a nibble, at Sakhi Rai's place, two hours later than scheduled. While waiting for our meal, we heard the god news; all the seats were booked online. It was four hours before the show but we were totally packed! We had to eat in the mode of passion because we were anxious to make it to the show on time. We were hosting the show at St Lucia University, which was the closest venue to the Brisbane hub. It was a short drive from our base so it was easier on the body and mind.

The hall was very nice. The rough brickwork made it seem like a medieval castle and the lecture hall style seating arrangement seemed to add a bit more of a technological contrast. We sat backstage, which reminded me of the back alleys of a city. The whole hall was a variety of scenes. Maharaja was entertaining a small group of children, including Madhava's younger sister, Radharani. He told them stories that I had heard before - the story of his Rudraksa beads, the story of his Muslim ring and his amazing voyage through the Amazon. He had to eat some strange, black, sticky substance from a witch doctor. The doctors back at base camp said the disease he had contracted, from symptoms he described, took months to recover from but he had recovered overnight, in the midst of the Amazon jungles. It was a miracle that he survived but Maharaja was full of miracles.

Maharaja went outside, to check the scene at the book table. He came back really shocked. "I just met a disciple of mine that I hadn't seen in ten years! She almost missed out on seeing the show because there were no seats so I slipped her into some reserved ones!"

The Gita play was a little problematic, as per usual. Our boxes (one of our very limited props) were creating an issue, yet again. Gaura Hari could only really find one of them, in the end. I hesitated, while chasing Madhava, looking for a box to leap off but remembered it was not there. Due to the lacking manoeuvre, and the consequential diddle-dawdle, I lost my timing in the chase. This caused some complications for the climatic meeting point, of Arjuna and the Mind. I had missed my original leap (off the box) so I had to add an extra leap, from side stage to centre stage. I nearly knocked Madhava off his feet! Madhava responded in startle and he actually did knock me off my feet. To the audience, it all may have looked like an amazing acting display but for us actors it was a whole lot of improvisation and panic. After the show, Gaura Hari said "wow, the mind was really out of control tonight!"

The show ended and we all rushed outside to say goodbye. There was a sea of familiar faces. I saw some people whom I hadn't seen in years and others who I had only just met. It was a mixture of emotions, watching relationships come together and break apart, like some dry grass in the ocean but also it was encouraging to see the permanent result of relationships bonded together by the magic of bhakti yoga. Sri Prahlada had his whole family come. I caught up with Vraja, Sri Prahlada's younger brother. I had known Vraja since I was four years old and had been close friends with him in New Gokul and New Govardhana. I recapped a few old stories for him.

I was told to hop in the back of Maharaja's car. There was a mix up though, because I had a car of my own. I was feeling a little down, thinking I would miss the opportunity to associate with the Sadhu. When Dominik enquired why I hadn't left, I showed him my set of keys. "Oh good. We need an extra car." He took the keys and I jumped in the back of Sakhi Rai's vehicle.

Maharaja shared some intimate conversation with us all. He talked for almost five minutes, just listing his plane trips in the next year. It broke my heart hearing how much exhausting travel he had to do, while I was at home recovering from tour. All this was simply to raise money so he could host the Polish tour and Brazilian tour. He talked about his seven years as a temple president. "I used to get up at two thirty every morning and chant my rounds before mangala arati. Then while everyone else chanted, I would read." Maharaja then turned to Tribi and asked him for blessings. It was a funny thing to ask. Maharaja was a leading spiritual general but he still remained so humble that he thought he needed our blessings. He was showing by his example, how to please Krsna and how to please Srila Prabhupada.

A saint asked his disciples, 'Why do we shout in anger? Why do people shout at each other when they are upset?' Disciples thought for a while, one of them said, 'Because we lose our calm, we shout for that.' 'But, why to shout when the other person is just next to you?' asked the saint. 'Isn't it possible to speak to him or her with a soft voice? Why do you shout at a person when you're angry?' Disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the saint. Finally he explained, 'When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other through that great distance.' Then the saint asked, 'What happens when two people fall in love? They don't shout at each other but talk softly, why? Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is very small...' The saint continued, 'When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that's all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.' What can we learn from this? When you argue do not let your hearts get distant, do not say words that distance each other more, else a day will come when the distance is so great that you will not find the path to return.

Jayananda Prabhu wrote some notes in the front Jacket of his Krsna book and these very clearly show the benefits of taking to Krsna consciousness: - As you begin to apply the book's clearly described principles to your life, you'll quickly experience a new realm of mental poise and experience an inner happiness even in the midst of the most trying circumstances. - You'll worry less and enjoy more. - Your power of concentration, memory, understanding and creativity will increase. - You'll work more energetically, more confidently and efficiently, as well as relate better to people. - And you'll succeed more easily at whatever you try doing. - At night you'll fall asleep immediately, and in the morning you'll awaken thoroughly refreshed with even less hours' sleep than you normally need. - Consequently you'll understand the real purpose of your life and your unique role in creation.

The world stands in no need of any reformer. The world has a very competent person for guiding it's minutest happenings. The person who finds that there is scope for reform of the world, himself stands in need of reform. The world goes on it's own perfect way. No person can deflect it but the breadth of a hair from the course chalked out for it by providence. When we perceive any change being actually affected in the course of events of this world by the agency of any particular individual, we also know very well that the agent possesses no real power at any stage. The agent finds himself driven forward by a force belonging to a different category from himself. The course of the world does not require to be changed by the activity of any person. What is necessary is to change our outlook to this very world. This was done for the contemporary generation by the mercy of Sri Caitanya. It could be only known to recipients of His mercy. The scriptures declare that it is only necessary to listen with an open mind to the name of Krsna from the lips of a bona fide devotee. As soon as Krsna enters the listening ear, He clears up the vision of the listener so that he no longer has any ambition of ever acting the part of a reformer of any other person, because he finds that nobody is left without the very highest guidance. It is therefore his own reform, by the grace of God, whose supreme necessity and nature he is increasingly able to realize, by the eternally continuing mercy of the Supreme Lord. - Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati (Sajjana Toshani, May 1932, issue 11)

Those sadhus who speak sharp words to drive away the witch of the illusory energy are actually the only real devotees of Krsna and friends of the living entities. The conditioned living being experiences the distressful quarreling of his wife and close relatives and is rudely treated by them until death, yet he never desires to leave their association. On the other hand, he absorbs himself in trying to appease and serve them. But when a devotee of the Lord, who is always desirous of the living entity's ultimate welfare, chides him just once with instructions meant to drive away Maya, then that conditioned entity immediately makes plans to leave the saintly person for his entire life. Srila Gaura Kisora dasa Babaji Maharaja

on 1 march bhakta philip wrote to me, via a friend who knew me as editor of namahatta.org, about his concerns regarding the slow progress of editing & archiving of unpublished tapes of srila prabhupada at the bhaktivedanta archives.

at first i received only this information, with a request to sign a petition:

The Bhaktivedanta Archives have more than 500 unreleased recordings of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada, the Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. These recordings are not transcribed in the Vedabase or published in any other way. A large percentage of these unreleased original recordings are not even preserved in a digital, non-time sensitive format. If nothing is done soon the original reels will completely demagnetize due to the influence of time and the sound will become forever lost. Please take a moment to sign this petition to show that devotees worldwide indeed want to hear all of this audio, and want it all to be released immediately. Please pass this message on to others. Thank you.

reading and digesting all this i come to the conclusion that bhakta philip and others supporting him don't act out of an honest desire to see srila prabhupada's words published as soon as possible, at least not exclusively or predominantly. bhakta philip quotes ekanath's replies out of context and tries hard to create the impression there were ulterior motives in delaying publication of these tapes.

i don't believe this to be the case. if bhaktivedanta archives wanted to suppress the tapes, why publicly announce their existence in the first place? of course it would be easy to put those recordings on the internet as they are, much of it not clearly understandable, most of it unclear as to the time and circumstances srila prabhupada spoke—and this indeed would lead to controversy. not because some revolutionary things spoken, but it wouldn't be clear exactly what he said, to whom, or why.

bhaktivedanta archives aren't in the business of publishing everything at all cost, but archiving things properly for posterity. that's a scientific process, and even though some devotees claim they could do the job in much less time, i do trust ekanath prabhu's expertise and experience. i have done some audio cleaning myself and know it's not as easy as the ads for the latest gadgets would have you believe; especially if the recordings are old and not in good shape physically.

skipping briefly through the list of 1,100+ devotees who signed the petition to release these tapes, i found two 'petitioners' who's comments i fully agree with:

trevor richards: I contacted the Bhaktivedanta Archives and put the questions you posed in your soliciting e-mail to them. I have to say I found their answers logical, sincere and without malice. As always there two side to any story. I will go with logical, sincere and common sense in this instant.

varnadi vandenberg: This petition is the result of naivete and conspiracy hunger. It's useless. If you don't know the people at the BA, have no knowledge of the processes involved with archiving tapes, are not willing to volunteer, haven't contacted the BA for a first-hand heads-up, and haven't bothered to read Ekanatha's explanation on Chakra or Dandavats, then please shut up already. Thanks. ;-)

IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU. The purpose of your life is greater than your own personal fulfillment, your career, or even your happiness. To know why you exist, you must first know the One who created you and the purposes for which you were created. The search for the purpose of life has puzzled people for thousands of years. That's because we typically begin at the wrong starting point - ourselves. We ask self-centered questions like: What do I want to be? What should I do with my life? What are my goals, my ambitions, my dreams for my future? But focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life's purpose. Contrary to what many popular books, movies, and seminars tell you, you won't discover your life's meaning by looking within yourself. You've probably tried that already. You didn't create yourself, so there is no way you can tell yourself what you were created for. If I handed you an invention you had never seen before, you wouldn't know its purpose, and the invention itself wouldn't be able to tell you either. Only the creator or the owner's manual could reveal its purpose. Many people try to use God for their own self-actualization, but that is a reversal of nature and is doomed to failure. You were made for God, not vice versa, and life is about letting God use you for his purposes, not your using him for your own purpose. - Rick Warren

The living entity's constitutional position is very minute, and he can be misled in his choice. He may choose to imitate the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A servant may desire to start his own business and imitate his master, and when he chooses to do so, he may leave the protection of his master. Sometimes he is a failure, and sometimes he is successful. Similarly, the living entity, part and parcel of Krsna, starts his own business to compete with the Lord. There are many competitors out to attain the Lord's position, but to become like the Lord is not at all possible. Thus there is a great struggle for existence with the material world as different parties try to imitate the Lord. Material bondage is caused by deviation from the service of the Lord and attempts to imitate Him. SB 4.29.26-27 Purport

Months ago I had an interesting dream, I had a sweet baby in my arms. After a while I got surprised, recognizing that he/she, doesnt look like our daughter Hladini, was bigger and had rounder eyes.

A short while after we got excited to see I’m pregrant. Krishna is sending us a gift in the form of a nice devotee baby, we are very happy. Our new family member will soon arrive in August. We are wishing to receive a happy, healthy baby. We are grateful to your wellwishes.

The secondary rules are of three types: rules regarding self; rules regarding society; rules regarding the afterlife. Rules regarding the self are of two categories: those for the body and those for the mind. Those rules to keep a person's body properly nourished so that they can remain healthy are the bodily rules. Such things as regulated drinking, eating, sleeping, exercise, and for sickness, prescriptions for cure, are bodily rules. If people do not follow these rules, they cannot pass through life smoothly. If they do not follow the mental rules, their power of realization, concentration, imagination, contemplation and judgment will be weak and will not properly function. There will be no advancement in arts and sciences, and moreover one will not be able to take the mind from material thoughts and direct it to thoughts of God. As a result, sinful thoughts and atheistic attitude will dominate the mind; finally a person will become no better than a beast. Therefore these bodily and mental rules are very necessary for success in human life. - Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Caitanya Siksamrta

In the beginning there may be some failures. That is quite natural. Just a child is trying to stand, he may fall down. But that does not mean he should give up the idea. Go on. A time will come come when he will be perfect. So we should not give up this business, to try to serve the Supreme. May be imperfect in the beginning, but stick to it, and a time will come when you'll be perfect, Krishna conscious. - Srila Prabhupada

In the material conception of life we do not want what is unfavorable, but we want simply favorable. But the laws of nature, they are so cruel that they enforce upon us unfavorable things. But one who is transcendentally realized, he does not care for the unfavorable or the favorable. He knows that "When the time will come, either the favorable things will come or unfavorable things will come in the law of nature. Let me be engaged in my own business, Krsna consciousness. Yes." Sthira-buddhir asammudhah brahma-vid brahmani sthitah. Sthira-buddhih. He is steady. He is steady in his conclusion. Bhagavad-gita 5.14-22 -- New York, August 28, 1966

1.Chant early in the morning, if possible 5 to 7 am 2.Chant along with Srila Prabhupada's japa tape 3.Chant with good chanters (when possible) 4.Record your chanting so you can hear whether you skip syllables 5.Read at least one inspiring text a day from Srila Prabhupada's books about chanting (like the compilation "The Nectar of the Holy Name") 6.After each 16 rounds, write down in your journal how many rounds you have actually heard 7.Chant all 16 round in one go (this is very powerful!) 8.Above all, pray to Lord Krsna and to namacarya Srila Haridasa Thakura to improve your japa 9.Turn off the mobile phone 10.Don't turn on the laptop/PC 11.Don't get into conversations unless absolutely urgent 12.When mind wanders away, bring it back and focus on the sound 13.Chant feelingly, not mechanically 14.Share your realizations and quotes to the email list of japa improvers 15.Report daily to the email list of japa improvers 16.Use monthly Japa Excellence Table to keep track about quality and quantity. "There is no vow like chanting the holy name, no knowledge superior to it, no meditation which comes anywhere near it, and it gives the highest result. No penance is equal to it, and nothing is as potent or powerful as the holy name. Chanting is the greatest act of piety and the supreme refuge. Even the words of the Vedas do not possess sufficient power to describe its magnitude. Chanting is the highest path to liberation, peace and eternal life. It's the pinnacle of devotion, the heart's joyous proclivity and attraction and the best form of remembrance of the Supreme Lord. The holy name has appeared solely for the benefit of the living entities as their lord and master, their supreme worshipful object and their spiritual guide and mentor. Whoever continuously chants Lord Krishna's holy name, even in his sleep, can easily realize that the name is a direct manifestation of Krishna Himself, in spite of the influences of Kali-yuga." - Bhaktivinoda Thakura

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand - "Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition."

I sit here thinking About my future Trying to make The best plan of all Time passes quickly Heart is still burning Krsna is waiting My final call Shall we make it In this lifetime Succeed to attain A pure heart and mind Shal we qualify To go back to Him Stop imitating Become genuine Oh, Gopal Oh, Gopal You said You are The ability in man Please help me hear Pure holy name My own selfishness Bothers me the most Make me Your servant Or I will be lost Shall we make it In this lifetime Succeed to attain A pure heart and mind Shal we qualify To go back to Him Stop imitating Become genuine Oh, Gopal Oh, Gopal Music here: http://www.vedicilluminations.com/gitacoaching/DandaMusic.htm

Whenever a devotee is in distress or has fallen into difficulty, he thinks that it is the Lord's mercy upon him. He thinks, "Thanks to my past misdeeds I should suffer far, far greater than I am suffering now. So it is by the mercy of the Supreme Lord that I am not getting all the punishment I am due. I am just getting a little, by the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Therefore he is always calm, quiet and patient, despite many distressful conditions. - Prabhupada

Boom & Boom New Delhi, India Things are booming in India. I dare say much about the economy since I have little detail but spiritually Krishna Consciousness is growing. Today I attended the Shilanyas (corner stone ceremony) for the 6th temple in the city. Mind you, there are hundreds of Hindu temples but this is the 6th Hare Krishna (ISKCON) community. In attendance were Gopal Krishna Goswami, Prahladananda Swami, Hanumat Prasaka Swami and my humble self. There were elaborate ceremonies including a go-puja, worship of the cow (a real one) while her bull calf was suckling from her. The actual location is a district in Delhi called Rohini with population 1 million. Many educational institutions are established in the immediate area. This is all good. After the event Gopal Krishna Goswami, the main spearhead behind this new project, kindly escorted Prahladananda and I to another section of town, Punjabi Bagh, where a new Krishna Bakery was opened. The three of us monks held scissors and snipped the ribbon for its new business hours. All forty items for sale in this new shop are prasadam (sanctified food). And naturally there was chanting during the ribbon cutting. I give you the reports not only to let you know of my adventures but also to inform you that despite the advances of mundane capitalism and consumerism, spirituality is also percolating. That's worth noting. Walking is part of the report. I was just pacing back and forth in front of the Sant Nagar temple and it amounted to 5 km for sure over a two hour period. 5 Km

"I am very glad that you are taking responsibility for Krishna's sake, this is advancement of Krishna Consciousness. Krishna is full in Himself. He can exert His energy to do anything wonderful, but still He presents Himself as unable to do so. Just like the Battlefield of Kuruksetra, He said all these men are already dead by my arrangement, none of them are going back home to live, the plan is already settled. And Arjuna was supposed to take responsibility and the credit of being victorious. Krishna is so kind, He does everything, but He gives the credit to His sincere devotee. So the more you take responsibility, Krishna is pleased on you. I am very glad you are feeling such responsibility and Krishna will bless you."

The conditional changes of the living entity are explained in the Caitanya-caritamrta in the instructions given to Srila Rupa Gosvami by Lord Sri Caitanya: "The living entities all over the universes are enjoying the effects of the respective fruitive results of their own work, life after life. Out of all of them, some may be influenced by the association of puredevotees and thus get the chance to execute devotional service by attainment of taste. This taste is the seed of devotional service, and one who is fortunate enough to have received such a seed is advised to sow it in the core of his heart. As one cultivates a seed by pouring water to fructify it, the seed of devotional service sown in the heart of the devotee may be cultured by pouring water in the form of hearing and chanting of the holyname and pastimes of the Lord. The creeper of devotional service, so nourished, gradually grows, and the devotee, acting as a gardener, goes on pouring the water of constant hearing and chanting. The creeper of devotional service gradually grows so high that it passes through the entire material universe and enters into the spiritual sky, growing still higher and higher until it reaches the planet Goloka Vrndavana. The devotee-gardener is in touch with the abode of the Lord even from the material plane by dint of performing devotional service to the Lord simply by hearing and chanting. As a creeper takes shelter of another, stronger tree, similarly the creeper of devotional service, nourished by the devotee, takes shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord and thus becomes fixed. When the creeper is fixed, then the fruit of the creeper comes into existence, and the gardener who nourished it is able to enjoy this fruit of love, and his life becomes successful." SP

South India is probably the head shaving capital of India. It's also common to see women with clean scalps. Sometimes sandalwood pulp is smeared on their heads to give a cooling relief from the heat of the day. What's with this cultural habit, anyway? Why hairlessness?Many people cut off their head and facial growth of hair because they wish to present themselves in the most clean fashion, so it isn't reserved just for monks. They are presenting themselves before a reverential deity. In Tirupati the predominant deity is once again, Balaji, and a modest appearance is one way to come before the deity.Hair is often perceived as a show of vanity. Sculptured hair for women, slick moustaches and perhaps goatees for men are a way to draw attention. In the south people believe in giving some portion of their day/ or life to spirituality. Shaving off hair is a demonstration of subduing that vanity.Our guru, Srila Prabhupada, liked his male disciples to be clean-shaven including the head. It's often common for male members of the family to shed their full head of hair when there is a death in the family such as in a well-known photo of Prabhupada when his father had departed. It is an act of mourning.I can't quite remember how it came up but at one point of my delivering a class out of an interactive approach, I centered on a young man with a Clark Gable type of moustache. It was not an attempt to embarrass him. Somehow or other he took it that it must go as well as all the hair on his head. Just before I left for a flight to Delhi the main brahmacari co-ordinator brought this young fellow to see me at the door.How to describe him? Well, he was beaming- better still - he was glowing! Outside of eye-lashes and eyebrows there wasn't a hair left on the head. The guy looked like Chaitanya, the 16th century master of chanting and he appeared to have no regrets.

Imagine if there is someone to whom your life is so important that he or she: - Prays for your success and protection every single day - Listens to you for hours with a genuine interest - Believes in your sincerity, talents and abilities - Gives you as many material resources as he can - Often thinks about how you can succeed in various areas - Is always there for you as much as possible - Will never reject you - Is open to learn from your realizations and experience - Is ready to do for you everything he can without expecting anything in return - Sees you as a precious soul who is very dear to Krsna (God) Would it be nice to have someone like this in your life? Such people might be around you.

Jump-start your every day with these questions: 1. What am I most grateful for in my life? 2. What am I happiest about in my life? 3. What am I most enthusiastic about in my life? 4. What I would like to focus most in my life? 5. Who and what am I most committed to in my life? 6. Who do I love? Who loves me? 7. What great ideas can help me succeed? 8. What are my best strengths, talents, skills and abilities? 9. What would my ideal life? What is my dream? 10. What's the best in me that I can offer to people I love and to the world?

Hare Krishna Kirtan - Aindra Das - Vrindavan - 9-11-2009 Part 3/3

I took blessings from Caru Candra Prabhu, North American sankirtana record holder, and launched into my best, most enthused, book distribution session that I can remember. For 30 minutes down in the home-base of the Broadway-Lafayette subway station in New York City, I was in flow. It was unmistakable. And then.... Krsna just pulled the plug.

Why, I could not understand. I did not see myself as particularly prideful or independent-minded. I was grateful and happy to serve Srila Prabhupada in a manner that is, frankly, so much nicer than I am accustomed. And I slowly began to suffer more and more through the pain of rejection and my previous successes. Was there such a thing as suffering without meaning in Krsna Consciousness? I thought that was the difference between material and spiritual suffering. But alas, I could not understand why Krsna was treating me in this haphazard way. Krsnaaa! How can I approach people and be normal when I can predict exactly what each one is going to say before he even speaks a word? This is surely an unreasonable task.

After some time of trying to keep my mind together, my friend, Doyal Gauranga Prabhu spontaneously showed up on the scene. When he asked me how I was doing, I told him the truth, but somehow my tone had subtly shifted. Bewilderment and frustration had turned to acceptance and realization. It then occurred to me that for the last 45 minutes or so, I'd not really minded the suffering. I'd somehow struck a pinch of liberation without my even noticing! Delighted and enlivened, our conversation revealed to me how Krsna was working on me, sculpting me determinedly, without even my slightest awareness.

My results remained meager as before, but my consciousness cleaned up. This was special mercy that I could not afford to take for granted in my present state. Then suddenly, *again*, Krsna pulled the plug! Dissatisfaction began to subtly seep through the cracks of my consciousness. And as it reached a second-wind of crescendo, I called out with fervor, "Krsnaaa! No one wants Your books out here! No one! What am I supposed to do? You can compel people better than I. But You're not doing anything. Krsnaaa! Is this really what You want?"

At that very moment, I approached a young bearded man with an air of hipness. "Hey, I'm from Long Island, where are you from?"

"Alabama"

"We're just showing these books to nice folks. Check it out. It's a classic of Eastern wisdom. You've heard of karma, right? What goes around comes around. These ideas originate in this book. Thoreau and Emerson said this book changed their lives, Gandhi said it gave him inspiration in his darkest hour. I'm a monk, my name's Ari, what's yours?"

We spoke for but a moment before he exclaimed, "You know, I've been looking for this."

He took a Gita and gave me a generous donation. As he walked into the train that arrived on the platform, he turned to me slightly and said, "What you're doing. it's not easy." He paused a moment. "Keep doing it."

And the train swept him away.

My jaw dropped, but there was no surprise in me. It's said in sankirtana circles that if you perform the service for long enough, you meet Krsna out there. It's unavoidable.